Behance Ambassadors: The scene in Los Angeles, California

We have 20 Behance Ambassadors stationed around the world, bringing creatives together for some real on-the-ground engagement. To kick off this new guest post series, we’ll hear from the Ambassador Team in LA, Jimmy Moss and Michelle LeClerc.

I started out by sitting at a table and ordering a drink-the name of it I can’t recall, so let’s call it an Early Bird. Folks started trickling in, and by nine o’clock we had taken over the back patio of the Beechwood in Venice. People having dinner were confused, and possibly a little jealous that they didn’t get a nametag. We explained that this was our very first Behance / AIGA LA meetup, and if they wanted they could join us. Some actually did!

It was the first of 4 monthly meetups that Jimmy Moss and I have had the pleasure of producing. Since our first meetup in Venice, they’ve only gained momentum. In October, the meetup was featured as an event for Design Week LA. It has been picked up and posted regularly on several event sites, Twitter, and Facebook.

The result is an eclectic mix of creatives, spanning over a broad range of age and experience. They come together at meetups and find quite a bit of commonality. In an area as big as Los Angeles, our meetups form a sort of solidarity. We unite our boroughs by planning meetups in different locations throughout the area. So far we’ve reached Venice, Hollywood, Culver City, Highland Park, and this week we’ll find ourselves in Pasadena.
Behance Ambassador Jimmy Moss and guest

We talk shop, show off our projects, and best of all we have fun. December’s meetup found us celebrating the spirit of the season with a holiday card swap. For the foodies, we’ve selected venues with great snacks. One of my favorite parts of the job is seeing to this aspect myself.

If you found me back in September, Bird in hand, I might have told you that I expected these meetups to be a fantastic way for the community to come together, collaborate and network. It started out that way, but for 2011, it will expand into something more. The next meetup will have a project share and optional critique, and in future months we will host a Petcha Kucha. With events such as these we will not only network, but learn as well. I’m pleased with the progress we’ve made over the last five months and look forward to all that 2011 has to bring.